He was fighting a losing battle with his wolf. His animal side recognized his True Mate and wanted to claim her. Here and now. Mark her for everyone to see, and it didn’t understand the human’s hesitation. Frankly, he didn’t understand his hesitation. Why not take her from here to somewhere they could be alone? Once he explained everything, then she would understand.
A sharp pain radiated up his shin, and it took every bit of his fraying control not to growl at Brenna for kicking him. Instead, he glared at her across the table, and she shot him a dirty look. He glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention, but the only gaze he met was Ann’s. She gave him a mischievous grin and winked at him. Shit. Carol might not be able to smell his interest, but apparently, he was broadcasting for the entire table. He had to wonder what Brenna’s dislike for his attraction to her friend stemmed from.
The sharp reminder of his surroundings helped to ratchet his instincts down a bit. Sure, kidnapping the woman from a dinner party would do wonders for her to trust him. What if she wasn’t Kaden’s or Sloan’s mate? Suddenly their simple plans seemed incredibly stupid. He couldn’t give her up no matter what, and it wouldn’t be fair for him to expect his brothers not to look for their mates.
Despite his better judgment, he was going to have to walk away for now, until he had a chance to talk to his brothers. He knew it was a next-to-impossible chance that she would be both his and Kaden’s mate, and less chance of her being Sloan’s as well. However, he’d always believed that everything happened for a reason, and until proven otherwise, he had to believe that she was meant to be all of theirs.
Chapter Seven
Jaxon spent the entire next day thinking of Carol and worrying about the future. The three of them had hardly spoken while they made dinner tonight. Kaden usually took care of the meals, but they all ended up helping out. The tension that hung over their table was almost a palpable entity. Each of them sat there and ate, no one speaking of what was on their minds. Kaden wasn’t eating any longer. Instead he sat in his chair with it pushed back on two legs and stared out the large kitchen window as he drank one beer after another.
Sloan stared down at his plate, pushing around his potatoes as if he were looking for the meaning of life underneath them. Someone had to end this tension, and Jaxon knew it would have to be him, although he wasn’t entirely certain that saying anything would help or make it all worse at this point. Jaxon thought of Carol and how it wouldn’t be fair to bring her into the middle of this crap.
All three of them spoke in unison. “I found my True Mate.”
Stunned silence hung in the air around them before they started shouting at each other.
“What the hell?”
“Who is she?”
“When the hell did this happen?”
“All right,” Jaxon said and held up his hands. “One at a time. Sloan, you start. What do you know of your Mate?”
“I met her at Brenna’s clinic yesterday. She’s up here helping her out for a few weeks.”
Jaxon dropped back in his seat as a mixture of release and disbelief coursed through him in time to the beating of his heart. He looked over at Kaden, who was looking back and forth between him and Sloan as if he were in shock. “Kaden, tell him.”
“Tell me what, Kaden?” Sloan practically vibrated in his seat with excitement.
“I met my mate at the LCBO yesterday. I don’t know much about her because I sort of lost my mind there and had a hard time controlling my wolf. I know her name is Carol.” Kaden didn’t sound a fraction as excited as Sloan did, and in fact he looked like he had been handed a death sentence.
“Holy fuck! That’s my mate’s name.” He whipped his gaze to Jaxon for confirmation. “Your mate, bro?”
Jaxon nodded and replied, “Is Brenna’s friend, Carol. I met her at Gordon’s last night.”
“Whoo-hoo! We’re fucking mated to the same woman!” Sloan jumped to his feet and grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter. “Let’s go get her.”
“Sloan, we can’t steal the woman from Gordon’s house in the middle of the night.”
“Why the fuck not? He won’t stop us, because Carol is ours.”
“She’s fucking human.” Kaden kicked his chair back and paced to the counters. “We can’t mate with a human.”
“Seriously, Kaden? She is our True Mate, and you are going to hold that against her? Since when did you become a bigot?”
“I’m not a bigot. Humans don’t have any place in our world.” Kaden’s voice rose to meet Sloan’s level. “Look what happened when the Solfalvis brought Mai up here. People died because she wasn’t strong enough to protect herself.”
Sloan snapped at Kaden, his irritation obvious. “She had nothing to do with that, Kaden, and you know it.”
“I was there, Sloan. That entire situation exploded because they had a human mate.”
“They should never have left Mai alone.” Sloan hammered the table with his hand. “Gaspar and Vencel never expected their old pack to come after them. The Hungarian wolves came into our territory without permission and threatened a pack member’s mate. That she was human made no difference to Gordon’s decision to fight back.”
“How’s this for a question?” Jaxon snapped at both of them. They were bickering like schoolkids. “How are we going to share a wife if we can’t get along?” He glared at his younger brothers. “Kaden, you say one more thing about her being human, and I’m going to punch you in the mouth.”
Both his brothers stopped their sniping. Sloan settled back in his chair with his arms crossed, and Kaden prowled back and forth across the kitchen. Tension hung in the room, irritating all their inner animals. In the past, they’d discussed the possibility of sharing a wife, including the challenges they might face, but until recently, their friendship was never a concern.
Sloan was the first to break the silence. “Sorry, Jaxon. You’re right. We have some things to figure out first before we put her in the middle of it all.”
“No worries, Sloan. But this short temper of yours is freaking me out lately.”
Sloan nodded and ran his fingers though his long red hair. It was obvious to Jaxon that Kaden agreed with Sloan’s concern. With the arrival of their mate, he wondered if that might be the reason behind their recent behaviors. First, they needed to talk this out.
“Sloan, why are you hesitant in claiming Carol? Two minutes ago you were ready to charge out the door.”
“I forgot, Brenna made me promise not to. She hasn’t seen her friend in a long time and wanted some time to catch up before we demand all her attention.”
“Why the hell would you agree to that?” Kaden looked ready to strangle his brother again, but Jaxon understood Sloan’s weakness for anything of the female persuasion.
“Because at the time I didn’t know she was ours, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to wait a few days to be certain.”
Jaxon grinned and pointed at Sloan. “Or because our brother can’t say no to a woman. One smile and he will bend to their every desire.” Jaxon understood Sloan’s need to take care of the women in his life. It was Kaden’s bubbling anger that concerned him the most. He watched as Kaden continued to pace back and forth across the kitchen floor, taking a swig out of his beer with every turn.
Sloan looked horrified by Jaxon’s accusation. “That’s not true. You’re making me sound like a doormat.”
“Remember when Judy Owens asked you to help her move?” Kaden pointed out.
“Or when Catherine asked you to help paint The Shack?” Jaxon added. “You had tickets to a Jays baseball game that weekend, and you gave them to Mahoney.”
“No one says no to Catherine.”
Kaden nodded his agreement. “True, she has the best sausage rolls in the province.”
Sloan got up and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “Neither of you would say no to her sausage rolls either, so don’t start. Brenna asked for a few days to spend with her friend to catch up. You think it was e
asy for me to agree to that? We’ve waited this long, what’s a day or two?”
“It feels like an eternity to me right now.” Jaxon stood as still as a statue and stared out of their kitchen window to the lake beyond. He wanted to honour Sloan’s promise to Brenna, but this was their mate. For all they knew someone could be planning to take her away. What if her car broke down on the highway coming home from Gordon’s? There were real bears in the woods, and she was a city girl through and through. There had to be a way they could protect Carol and get to know her better, while not breaking Sloan’s promise to Brenna. They needed a loophole, and hot on the heels of that thought, he came up with a solution.
“Sloan, you agreed that we wouldn’t all descend on Carol at once, right?”
“Yeah, so?”
“It’s obvious that Fate doesn’t share our promise to Brenna, given how we all met her today. I have an idea.”
“I don’t want any part of this,” Kaden spat. “You want to tie yourselves to a human, go ahead, but I’m warning you she will cause us nothing but trouble.”
* * * *
Startled awake, Carol opened her eyes and scanned her dark room. The apartment was silent. After dinner the other night, Brenna received a panicked call from her very pregnant cousin Skyler. She was afraid she might go into labour early and wanted Brenna there. Skyler lived with her mate in BC, so Brenna caught an earlier flight this evening to go and stay with her until after the baby was born.
Carol would’ve thought she’d sleep like the dead up here after all this fresh air. She and Brenna had hiked some trails this morning, which wore her out completely. She wasn’t certain why she opened her eyes, and part of her felt as if she were still asleep and this was a dream. Lying in the darkness, she listened to the symphony of cricket noises and loons that filled the night. She could hear the clock out in the hall but didn’t really care to get up and check the time. It must be near morning because when she turned out the light last night, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face. Now she could make out the shapes of the furniture in the room around her. She was surprised that she could see as well as she could, considering how dark it still was.
Outside the large sliding door, the stars lit up the sky like a million Christmas lights. She had never seen stars like this in the city. It looked like a sparkling blanket over the night sky. Hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights of varied strength.
Now she understood the draw with regards to sleeping under the stars, and part of her wondered if she could. Sure, there were animals around here, but they wouldn’t bother her, would they? She smiled and stretched. She must be dreaming because there was no way she would ever consider going anywhere out there on her own.
Closing her eyes, she listened to the night sounds and waited to see where her dreams would lead her.
A rustling sound outside caught her attention, and she opened her eyes again. That must be what woke her up in the first place. If she wasn’t going to get back to sleep, then maybe she would lie here and watch the sun come up. She rolled over and looked out the sliding doors. Blinking, she tried to understand what she was looking at.
A large creature sat at the glass door looking in at her. She lay as still as possible, her heart pounding hard inside her chest. She wanted to scream, but the sound froze in her throat. As she watched, the creature opened his mouth wide and yawned. Yawned? The movement highlighted large, sharp teeth, but the action didn’t come across as aggressive. Willing herself to calm down before she had a heart attack, Carol tried to make herself wake up. She didn’t want to have a nightmare. Why couldn’t she wish a hot guy to appear in her dreams? Sloan made a carnal appearance in her dream last night, and she kind of hoped his brother would join him tonight, in fact.
The large animal at the door stood on his hind legs and pressed against the glass with his paws. Her heart jumped in fear. That’s a massive wolf out there. The large animal sat back down and looked straight at her.
He, and he was most certainly male, cocked his head to one side and stared through the door at her. Carol pushed herself up in bed and stared back at the animal. He didn’t startle or sidestep away from her movement. Instead he calmly sat by the door, waiting. There was no way Brenna would feed a wild wolf. She knew the dangers of such an action, which only left one logical explanation. Although, logical might not be the best word to use at the moment.
Slipping out from under the sheet, she padded to the window and knelt down until she sat on the other side of the glass from the creature. A thick glass door would provide enough protection for her to get away if she needed to. Up here, the glass and doors had to withstand the harsh winter conditions that Mother Nature sent. They wouldn’t break under the strength of one wolf.
Forcing herself to remain calm, she watched the large animal as well, assessing the creature from her side of the glass. The humidity of the night made the back of her neck feel sweaty, and she knew that her tank top was sticking to her damp skin.
She tapped lightly on the glass, bringing the animal’s gaze up to her face. If she hadn’t realized what she might be dealing with before, she knew now. No wolf she ever studied or read about stared at a woman’s chest.
“I don’t think you’re Sloan. Your coloring is wrong. I imagine him to be something redder. So are you Jaxon or Kaden?”
The creature leapt to its feet, obviously surprised that she knew its secret. She watched the animal pace back and forth in front of the glass. He glanced at her a few times and bared his teeth at her. So he doesn’t like the fact that I know? Too bad. She understood animals enough to know that what looked like an aggressive move didn’t always mean that. He paused at the handle and pawed at it then sat back and stared at her.
She swallowed nervously. Despite being certain that this was no normal wolf, there was still a kernel of doubt in her head. She wasn’t about to open the door without knowing for certain. “Occam’s razor states that the simplest explanation is the right one. This means, there is only one explanation for you being here. So, I’m not letting you in until you tell me who you are.”
They sat at an impasse, each on one side of the glass, staring at the other. Carol wanted this creature to trust her enough to show her the truth. It didn’t take a psychologist to analyze her need for trust, but right now, she didn’t care. He came to her. So he could play by her rules for now. She crossed her arms and got up from the floor. “Fine. Go away then.”
The large wolf jumped to his feet and then lunged at the door. His paws hit the glass, nails tapping against the surface. On his hind legs, he towered over her.
She pointed a finger at the creature and kept her tone even. She knew about their sensitive hearing. “You want in? Then ask in English.”
If it weren’t for the fact that she was staring at the animal, she would have missed the air shimmer around him. One moment a large wolf stared at her, the next Jaxon stood naked on the other side of the glass. He looked pissed off, but she didn’t care. He’d tried to keep secrets from her.
“Open the door, Carol.”
“That’s ordering, not asking.” She couldn’t explain why she wasn’t going to let him get away with being bossy. Some instinct deep down inside her insisted on standing up to him, and being naked outside was no excuse to be rude.
“Please, will you open the door?”
“Better.” She flicked the lock and pulled open the sliding door.
Jaxon stepped in and immediately invaded her personal space. She held her ground and didn’t step back from him. When she met his gaze, she thought she saw a bit of respect and humour shining there.
“How long have you known?”
“Known about shape-shifters or known that you are one?” Her eyes drifted over his incredible body. He was strong and beautiful. A light dusting of hair covered his chest and arrowed down to his cock. It twitched under her gaze. Its head flushed a dark red as the shaft hardened. She fisted her hands to stop from reaching out to touch him. Just because he
came to her as a wolf and she made him shift in front of her didn’t mean he wanted her that way.
“Looking at me like that isn’t going to get you out of answering the question.” His voice sounded lower than normal and held a distinct growl to it.
Carol flicked her gaze back up to his face and hoped that the dim light hid the heat in her cheeks. “I don’t know why it matters, but I’ve known for a few years. That’s why Brenna asked me to take care of her clinic while she went to visit her sister. Hunting season will start while she is away, and she didn’t want to leave the town without a vet.”
“Gordon trusts you.”
Carol nodded, seeing the acceptance in Jaxon’s gaze. She knew that Brenna’s father was a well-respected man, but she didn’t realize how much until now. Jaxon stepped closer and crowded her, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck. He pressed gently under her chin, tilting her face toward him. She felt his hard cock pressing against her tummy, and her raging libido reminded her, she had a naked man in her room!
“Where did Brenna go late this afternoon?”
Either the small-town rumour mill was impressive, or Cris saw Brenna rush out of town today. “Her cousin called in a panic the other night, afraid she was going into labour.”
“I heard she wasn’t due for another month.”
“It was false labour, but Skyler begged Brenna to catch the earliest flight out. I think Skyler’s mate is panicking as much as she.”
“So that means you are all alone in the house?”
A moment of panic fluttered deep in Carol’s chest and then dissipated as if it never existed. She might not know Jaxon all that well, but she’d never felt safer in her life. “We’re all alone.”
A sensual grin curled his lips, making her stomach flip. Jaxon was a beautiful man, but when he smiled, a dimple impaled his cheek. She was a sucker for dimples. “That makes things much easier. I don’t have to worry about waking Brenna up.”
Davies, Corrine - Embraced by Fur [3xtasy Lake 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
